U.S. POLITICAL PRISONERS IN SUPPORT OF
PALESTINE
Statements from U.S. Political Prisoners

On the Occasion of A Commemoration of Black September And Palestinian
Political Prisoners, Boston, September 17, 2006

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>From Rafael Cancel Miranda:

The Palestinian and Puerto Rican people have a lot in common. We are two
nations under attack, who face the same aggressor, though he may be called by
different names.

Having spent 28 years of my life in the Anglo prisons of the United States, I
can easily understand the plight of the men, women and Children of Palestine
who find themselves in Israeli prisons. As we all know, Israel is an Anglo
spawn. It has often been said that societies are judged by the way they treat
their prisoners. If that's the case, then we can conclude that the Anglo/U.S.
and Israeli societies are extremely sadistic and demonic, given the crimes and
tortures they've perpetrated against their prisoners. All the horror stories
in the world are insufficient to convey the lack of humanity exhibited by
these two aggressors, which are one and the same.

I admire the Palestinian people, because I know how much love and courage it
takes to struggle with their determination. My people, the people of Puerto
Rico are engaged in a similar struggle. I can say without fear of self
deception that we will win; not only because truth and reason are on our side,
but because we are ready to do whatever is necessary to secure the rights of
our peoples.
Receive my strong embrace and solidarity with our brothers and sisters
imprisoned in Palestine.

Greetings to all who stand for a fee, just, liberated Palestine. I was still
an infant when Palestine was dismembered, hacked into pieces and driven off
its land. It was 18 or 19 years thereafter before I heard that Palestine was
alive, that there had not been the burial the imperialist and Zionist powers
had hoped. Life coursed then as now through diaspora veins connecting the
hearts of Palestinian people worldwide.

The will and resistance of the Palestinian people taught and inspired me along
with other anti-imperialists and internationalists. I greet you and honor you
who defend the Palestinian nation and its people. If only I could be present
to embrace you, to stand beside you for your homeland.
Those who struggle for a lifetime are the bearers of the future!

Your sister in solidarity,
Marilyn Buck, U.S. anti-imperialist political prisoner

To my Palestinian brothers and sisters. Herman Wallace and myself greet you
from the belly of the beast! (Prison.)

We would so much rather be there in person, to honor your courage and
determination against the zionist state of Israel!
For the last 35 years, we have watched the Palestinian people resist the
genocide of Israel against the Palestinians while the western world and media
tries to make the world see you as a people unfeeling, without love of family,
or people of the world.

Your fight for the destiny and control of the Palestinian people’s future is
both inspiring and courageous! The world must not rest until the Palestinian
people has their own state, with sovereign rights and East Jerusalem as its
capital! I salute your courage, I salute your sacrifice, I salute your
determination, I salute your victory!

The MOVE 9 are members of the revolutionary MOVE organization imprisoned since
1978 after a police assault on their headquarters in Powelton Village,
Philadelphia. In 1985 the government dropped a bomb on the MOVE house on Osage
Avenue in Philadelphia, killing 11 people, including 5 children.
Salute and solidarity to all our strong, loyal committed revolutionary sisters
and brothers in Palestine.

The committed example that you continue to set in your country is being felt
by all of us here in the USA too. The Move Organization is generating a united,
revolutionary vibration to you and all political prisoners around the world
through our unending fight for freedom and justice. We are linked together as
one to confront and expose the demon intimidation tactics the oppressor uses
to beat down and kill off the fighting spirit in all freedom fighters. We must
keep fighting back, no matter what or how things may seem. We are obligated to
show others the urgent need for change and guide them in the direction of
revolution. We must never let ourselves be divided despite any so-call
differences, because finally, we have the most important thing in common our
fight against the enemy, the oppressor, the enslaver, this system, and any
difference among us is secondary to that. What this system fears most is unity
because they know unity is power. Power of the people is the key to bring this
system to its knees.

We have committed our lives to revolution. Our men, women, children, our
infants have lost their lives, they were murdered by this system. We know all
of you have lost family, loved ones, and comrades too. The MOVE 9have been
unjustly imprisoned for almost 30 years, we are innocent. But despite our
innocence, we’ve been beat jailed and had family members murdered, not because
we are guilty of any crime but because we stand up against this rotten,
corrupt government and fight for what is right and because we expose these
government officials, judges, and police for the diabolical monsters they are.
We know all of you have suffered injustices there, the stories we’ve heard
affect us personally and pushes us to fight harder, cause while we are located
in different parts of the globe we understand and can relate to what you are
going through. Stay strong my brothers and sisters and know that we will not
let the lives of our family, your family, any freedom fighter be in vain. We
will never stop fighting this system. The seed for this revolution is planted,
and though we may not cross paths in our life time, our roots will be planted
in the same soil. LONG LIVE ALL FREEDOM FIGHTERS LONG LIVE THE REVOLUTION!
Ona Move, MOVE

Salutations and solidarity to the participants in this commemoration of Black
September, a landmark event in the history of popular resistance to
exploitation and oppression!

The brutal suppression of the Palestinian people’s aspirations to
self-determination by the Jordanian monarchy in September of 1970 is only
incidentally an illustration of the inhumanity of the ruling class. History
has shown us ad nauseam there is no limit to the murder and mayhem agencies of
repression will inflict on the people in furtherance of their masters’
interests. Nor is the event more than incidentally a defeat. People were
killed and injured and forced to leave their homes and communities and cast
into poverty, and the objective of Palestinian liberation was not attained.
The courage of the Palestinian people, however, was indelibly written in blood
and their will was not broken.

The point, then, of remembering Black September is not to mourn the losses and
condemn the oppression, though doing so goes without saying. It is to
celebrate the spirit of the Palestinian people who would rise up for freedom
nothwithstanding their long odds against armor and artillery and aircraft, who
rise up in resistance to the depredations of king and capital, who rise up in
continuing struggle against imperialist thuggery from one generation to
another and yet another. Memory must not dwell on the price of pursuing life,
liberty, and happiness. Instead, it must focus on affirmation of the
indomitable consciousness that impels people to that pursuit and to accept
nothing less. So acknowledge the tragedy of Black September, but commend and
support the Palestinian commitment to justice and protracted struggle it
represented. And let us hope it is contagious!

Moreover, we must extend that recognition and support to the Palestinian
people’s current resistance to Israeli aggression. Their cause is our cause,
‘cause what is visited on them will eventually be visited on others of the
oppressed class as soon as the oppressor class wants something they have. If
we, through our silence, allow the visitation to be legitimized on
Palestinians in Gaza and Lebanon and the West Bank and the people with and
among whom they’ve made their homes, we will hasten the time when those
tactics are used against us.

The Palestine plight is not some far-away issue affecting only some “foreign”
group. Contemplating my first thunderstorm in years as it raged across the
patch of sky visible from the federal transit camp’s hole 7500 miles west of
occupied Palestine, I could not escape images of the human-made thunder and
lightening raining down on the people of South Lebanon and the much bloodier
consequences thereof. Just because they were only images and not reality to me
did nothing to ameliorate the atrocity—induced anger and sadness—or the
uncomfortable knowledge I was and remain in the hands of the same government
of little Eichmanns that enables and supports the slaughter of Palestinians
and Lebanese by the Israeli military whose signs and sounds disturbed me in
that remote dark concrete corner. That discomfort is only the thin edge of the
wedge.

And I must also recognize you, who took time from your lives and your own
struggles with the vagaries of life under late capitalism to recognize and
support Palestinian resistance to oppression. Such is the way to realizing our
human commonality, our rights as humans and the deprivation thereof. Such is
the path to building true international solidarity against exploitation and
oppression. Such is the road to revolution.

The future holds promise!

Bill Dunne
USP Big Sandy
7 September 2006

Bill Dunne
#10916-086
U.S.P. Big Sandy
PO Box 2068
Inez, KY 41224

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>From Byron Shane Chubbuck:

Greeting Brothers and Sisters of Earth
we are all connected we
are all related!
I love the Palestinian
people because they have the guts
and heart to stand up
against the greatest source of lies
on earth.
“The Zionist”
Tribesmen of Cain.
Those “brood of vipers” who
Seek to destroy sovereignty
on a global level. And fully
intend on destroying the will
of all arab peoples who refuse
to obey the World Banks, Central
Banking madness.

Stay Strong

warriors!
Fight tooth and
nail like
American Indian
Movements always have.
Stop at nothing
Time is very
limited now.

I salute this Benefit and all of you in attendance this Sunday night, in
support of the thousands of Palestinian Political Prisoners, with real
enthusiasm.

The Palestinian People's heroic struggle for the right to exist, to end
Israeli occupation, and to have their own independent nation has been going on
for such a long time. As a young man in the 1960s, it was the liberation
struggles of people in Vietnam, South Africa, Ireland and Palestine that
inspired and informed me and many others then. Here we are in the 21st century,
with all the multilayered changes and advances the world has seen, and still
the Palestinian people live as occupied and oppressed people.

The over 10,000 Palestinian Political Prisoners, which includes dozens of
young teenagers, at least 100s of women, as well as thousands of men, suffer
the most of all Palestinians. The Zionist Israeli security forces have long
been notorious for mistreatment and even torture against Palestinians.

The majority of Palestinian people today have only known of life under Israeli
military occupation, and often living in refugee camps. For the past 4 decades,
year in - year out, there have always been thousands upon thousands of
Palestinians languishing in Israeli prisons. Presently there are over 10,000
in captivity. Israeli prisons are hard, but the spirit and strength of the
Palestinian Political Prisoners, their desire to free their nation of foreign
occupation, with all the injustice, humiliation, and terror that the Israeli
Zionist state inflicts on all of Palestine, remains firm and brilliant.

Political prisoners in America have long supported and stood in solidarity
with Palestinian Political Prisoners and we continue to do so today. We know
that you will create an independent Nation of Palestine. We salute you. We
hope for your survival and we encourage people here in America to support you
and the Palestinian struggle for freedom.

Free All Political Prisoners in Palestine!
Free All Political Prisoners in America!

Israel’s apartheid-like occupation of Palestine is a most blatant and brutal
violation of human rights. That reality combined with the courageous
resistance there make the struggle a front-line in the world today. I urge
everyone who is committed to humanity and to freedom to make support for
Palestinian self-determination, including full and fair provisions for the
needs and rights of all Palestinians in the diaspora, a top priority.

David Gilbert, 9/7/06
(Anti-imperialist political prisoner in the U.S.)

It is my prayer this message finds all of you in the very best of health and
continued high fighting spirits. Today, the Jericho Movement Boston Chapter
joins with other progressive people and groups to acknowledge and honor the
Palestinian Independence Movement in all of its various forms of struggle. For
Jericho to join in sponsoring this event is to essentially extend the
solidarity and support of all U.S. political prisoners, many of whom have been
in prison over 3 decades. This solidarity speaks to an understanding of our
fighting a common enemy, extending this understanding there continues to be a
need to struggle in our mutual self-interest and political determination.

When different peoples, different oppressed peoples are fighting against the
same enemy, then we need to recognize that solidarity means struggle. I can
not truly be in solidarity with the Palestinian Independence Movement without
being willing to engage and confront your enemy who is also my enemy. Our
struggle is not divorced from yours, but rather our front line struggle is
your rear front struggle, while your front line struggle is our rear front
struggle. Hence, anti-imperialist and anti-zionist initiatives in the U.S.
serve to free us from white supremacy and national oppression. Our fight
against white supremacy and national oppression serves to free you of U.S.
imperialism and proxy wars in support of zionism.

When we in North America fail to act, fail to confront and engage our common
enemy we have betrayed you and our words of solidarity become empty and hollow.
Therefore, it is the duty of political activist and progressive folks in this
country to build a mass and popular movement that specifically challenges
white supremacy and national oppression here. The struggle in the U.S. needs
to grow and evolve in a consistent level of resistance that corresponds to—if
not exceeds—the degree of oppression and reaction by U.S. imperialism.

Unfortunately, that is not happening here, and because of this failing, more
Palestinians are dying who could have possibly been saved. Harsh truths, but
truths none the less, and it is far time that progressive forces in the U.S.
come to terms with this reality.

In this regard, and in terms of Jericho Amnesty Movement, I have recently
proposed that for the 10th Year Anniversary of Jericho ’08, that Jericho
organize a national conference, march and demonstration to be held in New York
City. The theme of the national determination would be “When the U.S. Won’t—The
World Will Recognize the Existence of U.S. Political Prisoners”. Ultimately,
such a national determination will serve to demonstrate before the United
Nations and the world the U.S. has political prisoners, and these political
prisoners represent a legacy of struggle opposing U.S. imperialism, opposing
white supremacy and opposing national oppression. By building and raising the
issue of U.S. political prisoners onto the national debate and in the
international community, we will be undermining and exposing U.S. imperialism
and zionism, providing pragmatic support to those engaging U.S. imperialism
around the world. Solidarity means struggle, and our struggle is united with
those fighting our common enemy. But it will only be when we take
responsibility, unite and fight for our own political prisoners, can we truly
say we are in solidarity with any other peoples’ fighting our common enemy. We
are on the front lines, and our captured and confined are front line activists
which Jericho has sought to represent in a national determination.

Therefore, I ask all those attending this event to join with Jericho in
support of this proposal for the 10th Year Anniversary of Jericho, to tell the
world we join them in solidarity by continuing the fight here, asking them to
condemn U.S. imperialism for its inhumane treatment of U.S. political
prisoners.

When we strengthen our resolve and capacity to confront U.S. imperialism here,
we will in essence be unified with the Palestinian peoples in their war
against U.S. imperialism and zionism in Palestine. Let our solidarity be more
than words or financial gratuity, when failing to provide same support for our
own U.S. political prisoners. Rather, when we fight to free and liberate our
own, we will weaken our common enemy ensuring our comrades overseas are better
able to be victorious in their many and varied battles. That would truly be
solidarity in the meaning of struggle.

The recent Zionist aggression in which the world witnessed Israeli war planes
drop cluster bombs on helpless Lebanese children was precipitated by the U.S.
government’s greed for oil, as the attack was actually staged so the U.S. and
Zionist Israel can secure control over the Eastern Mediterranean coastline for
the shipping of millions of barrels of oil, now coming out of the recently
inaugurated “BTC” pipeline.

The Balfour Declaration in 1918 was invoked to quench the imperialist thirst
for land and oil, as was the European incursion in 1948.

The erecting of the Apartheid Wall in occupied Palestine, in an effort to
stifle the economical livelihood of the Palestinian people is not seen as an
emblem of power, but rather as a harbinger of weakness. It also shows the
Zionist fear and lack of confidence, and serves as a reminder of the strength
and resolve of the spirit within the Palestinian populace.

All the freedom loving people of the world are inspired by the Palestinian
Resistance to imperialist aggression for the past 100 years. In time the world
Intifada will escalate and drive imperialism from the face of the earth.

To the Palestinian people, their political prisoners and detainees held in
israeli jails. To our brothers and sisters in struggle, we u.s. political
prisoners and prisoners of war extend greetings and solidarity and commend you
for your stout-hearted resistance to zionist occupation of your land. Your
dogged resolve to expel them is admired and respected more than ever. We
recognize your plight and honor your historic resistance to this occupation
and aggression.
Across the border from you—in Lebanon, in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in mother
Afrika, and in the belly of the beast itself, the same war against u.s.
imperialist designs and its quest for global domination wages on. And at every
turn babies cry, and mothers grieve; and sons, daughters, husbands and wives
are martyred. In Gaza, a family of beach goers is cut down by zionist tank
shells as they recline on a lonely stretch of sand to catch some sun and much
needed respite from the stress of bombs, tanks, and overflying warplanes. On a
war-torn street in the West Bank, captured by television before a global
audience, the figures of a father and son are riddled with bullets as they
huddled desperately behind the shelter of a wooden barrel from withering
zionist firepower.

After a long train of abuses, people reject injustices and they eventually
respond aggressively. This is what usually creates political prisoners and
prisoners of war and is why we gather here at this time to honor and
immortalize your implacable spirit in tenaciously resisting zionist occupation
of your homeland. Therefore, as you have ably demonstrated, we categorically
reject the prescribed reality of long suffering and acceptance of our plight
served up by the forces of power and greed. Our vision is one that dank prison
cells, truncheons, electrodes, waterboarding and the like cannot hope to alter
or forestall. To coin a phrase: “we claim no easy victories and tell no lies.”
And we shall remain a vigilant and firm supporter of our Palestinian brothers
and sisters, as we stay the course in our own struggle ‘til victory is won.

It’s good to see you all honoring Palestinian freedom fighters. They have long
borne the main brunt of the fight against u.s. imperialism in the Mid-East.
They are doing there what we who want freedom should be doing here—and one day
will do here. Meanwhile i send my warmest solidarity to the Palestinian
political prisoners and may we continue to struggle in solidarity until we and
all oppressed people are free worldwide!

I would like to express my solidarity with my Palestinian sisters and brothers
around the world in memory of both Black September and their continuous heroic
struggle being waged by them around the world.

Their intifadas and ceaseless struggle against the forces of oppression are an
inspiration to us all and all peace loving people the world over.

I salute you all and I pray that Allah will continue to guide, bless and
reward us all. Be well and continue to intensify our struggle.

Greetings Comrades and friends in the International struggle; we ask your
support our struggle by posting this around the world so that international
fascism is aware that we will not sit but stand together and ROAR Freedom for
ALL political Prisoners and Prisoners of War...Ashanti Co-chair The Jericho
Movement
It is with urgency that we call on you to be alert right now in light of this
latest assault on our movement coming from California and New York. By now you
have heard the news that fascism has called for the arrest of at least eight
(8) former members of the Black Panther Party, two of whom are already serving
life sentences in New York state prisons. The incident occurred back in August
29, 1971, when, if I remember correctly, a unit of the Black Liberation Army
attacked a precinct in San Francisco in retaliation for the assassination of
Field Marshall George Jackson the week prior.
As with many actions of the BLA, large-scale corralling measures were taken
and numerous folks, community revolutionaries and unaffiliated community folks
were arrested and charged with criminal bs. Torture and others illegal but
totally characteristic measures were used by local, state and federal forces
to coerce "confessions" and manufacture evidence where there was none. But
that's war, aint it? Revolutionaries held up through it then, as they do now,
35 years later. 35 years later? I am being facetious. The war never ended,
good people. And neither has our response to their war on our revolutionaries
still confined within their steel, concrete and electronic bowels.
We say: FREE ALL P0LITICAL PRISONERS. WE ARE THE JERICHO AMNESTY MOVEMENT.
Right on? RIGHT ON.
The names that we have so far of the arrested are:
Ray Michael Boudreaux, 64, of Altadena; Richard Brown, 65, of San Francisco;
Herman Bell, 59, and Anthony Bottom, 55, both currently incarcerated in New
York state; Henry Watson Jones, 71, of Altadena; Francisco Torres, 58, of
Queens, New York; and Harold Taylor, 58, of Panama City, Fla.
There are even mystery "suspect," sort of like in the Sean Bell Mystery Fourth
Man theory. They said he may be hiding out in Tanzania, Belize or France. We
hope that the O'Neils in Tanzania and Donald Cox in France know whats going on
and also be alert.
The mass rag sheets have given their jive poisoned descriptions of the BLA,
but we say that the BLA is a people's army fighting the good fight and still
determined to win. But folks will say that there is no longer a BLA, and I
take pleasure in reminding folks with the words of Assata Shakur that there is
and will always be a Black Liberation Army until Black folks are free. So,
take that local, state and federal forces of fascism. Long as we believe, and
long as our young folks hip-hop and praise the name "Black Liberation Army,"
the army is alive and well and in a safe place in our hearts surrounded by
balagoonistic spirits, Sandra-holmes spirits, etc. Hell, empire is raising the
dead. Lets go to work!
Stay tuned to freedom archives (www.freedomarchives.org),
Jericho and other peoples sites for more info. The best we can say now is that
information is still coming in. We should prepare for two things: 1. to be
ever alert, and support activity for our comrades, even if on short notice.
Right on? RIGHT ON.

What? What? Filiberto is that you, that whisper...
What? What? Nannie Prosser is that you, that whisper...
What? Meryl. Geronimo. John Brown. Twyman...

Lawd, the empire in trouble!!!!!!!

Ashanti Alston
Proud to have been a POW out of the ranks of the BLA
Servant Co-Chair, National Jericho